Vengence
by ElkinFencer
Summary: When Stephen Deck's parents are killed by a mysterious man from Canfis, he swears revenge for his parents' deaths. As his quest progresses, he joins up with several people who all seek to end the life of this evil man.
1. Sowing the Seed of Hatred

_Ok, so this is my first Runescape fan fiction. Other than a horrible attempt at a fan fiction about a year ago, this is my first piece of writing. Please review with CONSTRUCTIVE CRITISIZM. Thanks!_

_Btw, I don't own Runesacpe_

_---ElkinFencer_

"Roy, don't do this."

"Andy, I have to. He killed my wife. Her death must be avenged." Roy Deck, the most famous warrior in all of Runescape, was preparing his gear for battle.

"Roy, damn it, listen to me. You're a father. Your son needs you. What if he kills you, too? Stephen's only 8 years old, don't risk making him spend the rest of his childhood an orphan." Andy Raynor was Roy's best friend, and the godfather of his son, Stephen.

"Andy, I'm not going to die. In the last 20 years, not even the supreme commander of the Asgarnian military has been able to defeat me. How could one man kill me?"

"He's not just a man, Roy; he's from Canfis. He has spent his entire life fighting off vampires and werewolves. He's lived in the Wilderness unchallenged for over 30 years. He's stronger than you are. Let me talk to my superiors, I might be able to get you some help." Andy was a member of Burthope's Imperial Guard. His career in the military had gotten him much respect and fame among the Guard.

Roy paused before donning his helmet. "Andy, just keep the boy safe. This is something I have to do. As Lucia was bleeding to death, I promised her that I would avenge her death. I have to keep that one last promise to my wife. If I don't come back, rear Stephen as I would have, and tell him who I was, and what I died doing."

Andy sighed, admitting defeat. "Be careful. Take these runes. They'll teleport you to Burthope. I want you to use them if you think you're going to lose. Remember the old saying 'He who fights and runs away lives to fight another day'? That's true, you know. There's no shame in retreating."

"I won't retreat. I owe it to Lucia. I owe her this one last act….." Roy seemed to stare off into space for a moment. He placed his helmet upon his head and slid his sword into its scabbard. Forged by the famous dwarven blacksmith Doric before his death, Roy had one of the only full sets of dragon metal armor in existence. The sword he wielded, a long sword made of dragon metal, was the last sword Doric made before his death, and therefore held sentimental value, as well as it's legendary strength. "Take care of the boy, Andy. You've been a good friend to me, and I thank you for all that you've done." Roy walked over to where Andy was standing and gave him a hug. He took one last look around the estate he'd worked so hard to build for his family. Portals to every city in Runescape, a workshop of which a dwarf would be jealous, and a chapel to Guthix that put the other gods to shame; built in the city of Varrok, the Deck estate was truly a modern wonder. "One last thing, Andy. Keep the house in the family. Goodbye, my friend." As Roy walked out the door, it was as if a piece of Andy's heart walked with him. He knew that was the last time he would see his childhood friend alive.

Roy paused for a moment and took in his surroundings. He was deep in the Wilderness, an area near which few dare to venture. His target was rumored to be in this area, however. He suddenly felt a presence approach him, and he quickly spun around and grabbed his sword. Before him stood a man clad in armor the likes of which he had never seen, though it appeared to be made from human bones. This man wielded a sword overflowing with evil energy. Painted in human blood on his chest plate was a large symbol of Zamorak, the god of evil. He wore a tattered cloak that smelled of rotting flesh. "Zezima….You killed my wife, Lucia. Your end his here. Not even your god can save you now."

"Ha. Yes, I remember that whore. I hate mages, you know. That, and her infinity robes just screamed for me to take them. They're quite valuable, you know. 10 million gp……Music my ears…." Zezima said as a smirk appeared on his face. Roy's blood boiled with hatred towards him. "That armor you're wearing would fetch me a nice price, too, would it not?" Zezima's smirk got larger as he raised his sword. "Time to join your bitch." Zezima's sword erupted in a red glow as he raced towards Roy.

'Holy Guthix, his speed is unnatural….' Roy thought to himself as he blocked Zezima's attack and slashed at him. Zezima dodged his attack and vanished from sight. Knowing not to let down his guard, Roy raised his shield and his sword and looked all around him.

"Peeka-boo." Roy, startled, turned around to see Zezima standing nose to nose with him. A second later, a heart-wrenching splatter was heard. Roy looked down to see Zezima's sword piercing his body. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Too easy. I honestly expected more of a challenge from such a legendary hero."

"Lucia…Forgive me….May Guthix forgive my failure…." Those were Roy's last words before the light faded from his eyes, and his soul joined that of his wife, Lucia, in the afterlife.

"Thank you," Andy said to Postie Pete as he closed the front door to the Deck estate. 'A letter from the Edgeville border patrol…..This can't be good….'

"_Dear Colonel Raynor:_

_It is with grief that I inform you that my patrol discovered the head of your longtime associate Roy Deck on a pole not far into the Wilderness. We could not locate the rest of his body. There was a note inside of Mr. Deck's mouth. I have enclosed the note. I have informed the king, and he was asked me to pass on a request that you report to Falador as soon as possible, and has requested that you bring young Stephen Deck with you. Once again, my sympathy goes out to you for the loss of your friend._

_Signed:_

_Captain Cameron McGlynn_

_Edgeville Border Patrol Commander_"

Andy's eyes filled with tears as he read the letter. He sank to the floor and wept over the loss of his dear friend for nearly an hour. Though Andy was not aware of this, Stephen saw his crying. Even at age 8, Stephen knew his father wouldn't be coming home. At that moment, he swore that, as soon as he grew strong, he would take the life of Zezima as payment for the deaths of his mother and father. Stephen went to his room and cried himself to sleep as the realization that he was now an orphan set in.

As Andy pulled himself together, he read the note enclosed with the letter.

"_Roy's dead. If you want the boy to live, flee the country now. You have one week._"

As soon as Andy read the note, he called the butler and told him to that he had 6 hours to prepare suitcases for Stephen. As soon as the butler set to work, Andy left the house and rode his horse to his home in Burthope as quickly as the horse would go. Once in his home, he donned his best armor and packed a bag with clothes. He sent a messenger to inform the king that he and Stephen would be in Falador the following day. Once his things were packed, he rode back to the Deck house in Varrok. The butler had finished packing the things, and Andy awoke Stephen. He told them that they were taking a trip to Falador. As they walked toward the portal chamber, Stephen looked up and saw grief still fresh in Andy's eyes. Seeing his godfather in such emotional pain only strengthened Stephen's hatred for Zezima. They walked through the Falador portal, and walked towards the castle.


	2. Assault on Asgarnia

_After reading through chapter 1, I found a few inconsistencies, errors, and usage of the wrong words. Thanks to Grant117 for pointing out these errors, even if he was a bit of a douche bag in doing so. Lol Anyway, thanks for reading the story. I will probably be editing a lot of chapters as I find errors and inconsistencies, so if you see an error, alert me in a review, and it should be fixed in a day or so. Thanks for all of your help in improving my writing skills, which have always been sadly lacking. Also, I realize I got the political divides of Runescape wrong. For the purposes of this story, Asgarnia includes Falador, Rimmington, Taverly, Burthope, Port Sarim, Edgeville, Barbarian Village, and Varrok. Misthalin includes Lumbridge and Draynor Village. Al-Kharid is just everything that's desert east and southeast of Lumbridge. The Kingdom of Rellekka includes the village of Rellekka, Waterbirth Island, and the Fremmenik Islands. Miscellania and Etceria are their own, independent kingdoms. Thanks again for your support with this story._

_--ElkinFencer_

Upon reaching the castle in Falador, a group of 3 White Knights quickly swept Stephen and Andy into the castle. There, they met with Sir Amik Varze, the leader of the White Knights.

"Colonel Raynor, I'm glad you could make it so quickly. I know you're of the Burthope Imperial Guard, so naturally you're none too fond of White Knights, but we need to put aside our differences to ensure the safety of this boy," Sir Amik said as he shook the hand of Andy.

"….Yes, I agree, but why are you so willing to help protect Stephen? I understand that the king would have soldiers involved, but the White Knights? Roy was always a supporter of the Imperial Guard, even in issues against the White Knight. Why do you so willingly help his son?" Andy asked, questioning the motives of the knight.

"Normally, you're right, we wouldn't step in to help a supporter of the Imperial Guard. However, Mr. Deck gave the White Knights quite a lot of financial support for our war with the Black Knights, and for that, we are indebted to him. Now, if you'll come with me, I've arranged for Stephen to stay in Rellekka for 1 year. After that, if he still needs to be hidden, King Vargas of Miscellania has agreed to let him stay in the castle under the care of his daughter for as long as necessary."

Stephen was rather annoyed by their ignoring him and speaking about him as if he weren't there, but he decided that it would be best if he kept his mouth shut and let the two men work out the details of his hiding. A few hours later, Stephen and Andy, accompanied by 15 White Knights, left the castle and began the long march from Falador to Rellekka.

A week later, the group arrived in Rellekka. A man clad in gold trimmed furs approached them. "Colonel Raynor, welcome to Rellekka! My name is Brundt, I'm chieftain of Rellekka. I'll show you to the house we have prepared for you." Andy and Stephen followed Brundt through the village to a small cottage in not far from the docks. "Stephen, I would like to extend to you my grief over your father's death. He was a great friend of mine, and an ally of the Fremennik. As his son, you, too, are a friend and ally of the Fremennik. I am sorry we cannot accommodate you for more than a year, but with the increase in dagannoth activity, it just isn't safe for someone of your heritage to stay in such a vulnerable place. If my aids deem it safe, however, you will be allowed to stay as long as you wish."

Stephen, obviously shy and intimidated by Brundt, said sheepishly "Umm…Thanks…." and then hid behind his godfather.

"Hahaha! The lad's scared? Hopefully that will come to pass. We can't have the son of the great Roy Deck so shy all the time, now can we? Colonel Raynor, I hope you find your accommodations acceptable. If you need me, I will be in the long hall." With that, Brundt walked out of the cottage and returned to his tedious labor of drinking until he could no longer stand.

Upon returning to the White Knight castle in Falador, Sir Amik found that the city was a flaming ruin with the few White Knights that weren't dead fighting against an army that outnumbered them 5 to 1. He ran into to the center of the city, where a statue of Saradomin formerly stood. He saw a wounded city guardsman laying on the ground. "Soldier, what happened here?"

"Ughhh….Sir Amik? Is that you? Sir, you have to leave! They've overrun the city!" The soldier seemed terrified

"Who?" Sir Amik asked, growing impatient, "Who has overrun the city??"

"It was him…That man from Canfis. He's not just a warrior….He's a necromancer. He slaughtered the guards at the gate and marched in with a massive army of zombies. There were so many of them….Not just human, either. He had zogres, zombie goblins, zombie gnomes….But that's not the worst part. Leading the army right behind him was the reanimated headless corpse of Roy Deck. There are still some knights fighting within the castle walls. Sir, run while they're distracted."

Sir Amik's fury was apparent in his eyes. "I will not abandon the White City! I am the commander of the White Knights, and I will not flee from the defense of our home base!" With that, Sir Amik charged into the burning castle to meet the fight still ongoing.

He was met with a gruesome sight; dozens of mutilated White Knights strewn across a blood-soaked courtyard. What had once been a peaceful garden where White Knights could relax in tranquility was now a battlefield infested with the stench of rotting flesh. There were still a dozen or so White Knights fighting, and with himself and the 15 he had taken to Rellekka with him, that left about 30 knights. He and his men charged into the battle and began to kill the zombies. He saw the corpse of Sir Vyvin, the White Knight armory keeper, being mutilated by a zombie goblin. The zombie was trying to break Sir Vyvin's skull open to devour his brains. Sir Vyvin was a great friend of Sir Amik, and they had been White Knights together for over 30 years. This enraged Sir Amik, and he ran at the goblin at full speed and cut the undead wretch in half from the back up.

He looked around, and it was apparent that this fight was futile. "RETREAT!! RETREAT!! ALL WHITE KNIGHTS, ABANDON THE CITY AND REGROUP AT LOCATION ALPHA!!" Sir Amik shouted to the remaining knights, doing something he vowed never to do; abandon Falador in her darkest hour. As the remaining 16 White Knights fled the city, they turned around to see the castle they had called home for years burn to the ground in a mix of flame and smoke, and they all felt that they wished they had been the ones to die instead of their brethren back in the city walls. When they reached their "Location Alpha"; the ruins between Edgeville and Barbarian Village; they regrouped and waited for Sir Amik to issue his orders.

"The first thing we need to do is get to Varrok and inform the king of what's happened. We don't have much time. If Zezima has reanimated Roy and added him to the ranks of his zombie army, I don't think there's anyone who can stop him. We've got to get the royal family to safety. Let's move out, we have no time to spare. If my past dealings with zombies are any indication, it won't be more than a few hours, a day at the most, before they devour everyone in that city and move on to the next. Their next target will probably be Port Sarim. We'll rally any troops we can along the way, and try to make a strike against them there." All of the White Knights understood their orders, and the small group began their move towards Varrok.

When they reached Varrok, it was apparent that no one knew of the destruction of Falador, for everyone was curious as to why there were White Knights in Varrok, and more importantly, why their armor looked more red than white due to the excessive amounts of blood caked onto their armor from the battle. As they marched towards the castle, the gypsy in the market stopped them. "Tell me, good knights; is what the crystal ball told me true? Was the White City destroyed?"

Sir Amik looked amazed. "Yes, that's true. Woman, when did your crystal show you this?"

"About two weeks ago. I assumed it was simply hogwash. I never thought the White City would fall." The gypsy's words enraged Sir Amik.

"You mean to tell me that you knew of this slaughter two weeks ago??? Had you informed the king, that would have given us more than enough time to mount a proper defense! May Saradomin show you no mercy, wretch!" Sir Amik backhanded the gypsy will all his might, ripping a gash in her cheek.

As she rose from the ground, blood all over the left side of her face, she realized that the slaughter could have been prevented had she told someone of her readings. Filled with grief and guilt, she said to herself "Saradomin, forgive me." She pulled a dagger out of her robes and imbedded the blade deep within her heart. As she fell to the floor, laying in a pool of her own blood, she said "Take my soul, Saradomin, and banish it for my crime." She took her final breath as she let go of her body and let her soul descend into hell.

"King Roald, forgive me for coming so suddenly and unannounced, but I have terrible news," Sir Amik said as he shoved the guards aside and opened the door to the king's chambers.

"Amik, what do you want? Can't you see I'm quite busy? The gardens need work, the castle needs renovation, the gangs in the city need to be quieted, I'm far too busy to deal with a few petty needs of the White Knights. Go kill a Black Knight, or whatever it is you do in your spare ti-" King Roald stopped mid-sentence when he turned around and saw that the knights that stood before him were covered in blood. "What in the name of Saradomin happened?"

"Your majesty, Falador is no more. Zezima raised an army of undead, including the late warrior Roy Deck, and invaded Falador when I, along with 15 of my knights, were escorting Andy Raynor and young Stephen Deck to Rellekka. I need you to rally the armies of Asgarnia and have them all ready to repel this undead army at their next attack location." Sir Amik seemed to dismiss the king's bluntness, already having more than his share of things about which to worry.

"What do you mean Falador is no more? Undead army? Roy's a zombie? What the fuck are you babbling about?? Have you gone insane?" King Roald seemed in shock over what he had just heard.

"Your majesty, I know this sounds crazy, but the city of Falador has been overrun by an army of zombies. Zezima, the man from Canfis that murdered Roy and Lucia Deck, is a necromancer, and he has created an army of zombie humans, zombie goblins, zogres, and zombie gnomes, and has invaded Falador. Now, I've fought zombie hoards before, when the Knights of Ardougne requested our help with their zogre problem a few years ago. If I'm right, they'll finish devouring the citizens of Falador in less than 12 hours. They will then move to Port Sarim and Rimmington. If we don't stop them, they'll keep destroying and devouring city after city. I don't know what Zezima's motives here are, but I think finding out that comes second to defending the people of Asgarnia." Sir Amik made the case for his request of military assistance. The king seemed to take a moment to digest what he was just told.

"I see. Commander Tucker! Get in here!" The king called Grant Tucker, supreme commander of Asgarnian forces, into his chamber.

"You called, my king?" Tucker bowed to the king, and saluted Sir Amik.

"Yes. Prepare the 1st through 15th legions and have them all report to Port Sarim. Have the remaining army divided and sent to each Asgarnian city and town with the exceptions of Falador, Port Sarim, and Rimmington."

"Yes, your majesty, right away." Commander Tucker left the room swiftly and began writing letters to all legion commanders informing them of their orders.

"Now, you're sure you can stop this army, Amik?" the king asked.

"No. In fact, I highly doubt any of our soldiers will survive. However, this is our best shot. If we can take out some of their army, then perhaps they will be weakened enough for the warriors of Al-Kharid or Misthalin will be able to defeat them." Sir Amik seemed to be aware of the impossibility of this battle he was about to fight, but saw the greater good it would do in the long run.

"Very well. Get to Port Sarim. You soldiers should be there shortly."


	3. The Slaughter

"'In order to defend Asgarnia from a recent invasion, your status in the Imperial Guard is hereby changed from inactive to active duty. Report to the military training camp in Burthope in 30 minutes. There, you will be briefed on the situation and given your orders. Sincerely, Commander Grant Tucker; Supreme Commander of Asgarnian military forces.' Just great…Skyla! Come downstairs!" Edward Walker was a lieutenant colonel in the Imperial Guard, and until recently, was retired. His wife, Elena, was killed as a political attack on him seven years ago, so he had been raising his daughter, Skyla, as a single parent since she was 6 months old. "Skyla, Daddy has to go on a little trip. Are you ok to stay with Mr. Turael for a few weeks?" Turael was a retired demon slayer, and had opened a school in Burthope to instruct younger warriors in the art of slaying. Edward had become acquainted with him when he had been dispatched to settle a violent fight that had broken out in his school. Since then, Edward and Turael had become good friends, and after Elena's death, Turael agreed to look after Skyla should Edward be called into combat or suddenly die.

"Why, Daddy? I like Mr. Turael, but why do you have to go away?" Skyla asked with large eyes and a tone that only a child could produce, one that begged pity. It was apparent that, since she never knew her mother, she didn't want her father to leave for any extended period of time.

"Well, some mean people have hurt our friends in other parts of Asgarnia, and it's my job to make sure these mean people get put in time out." It was difficult for Edward to explain war to a child of only 7 years old. He didn't want her to know just how dangerous war could be, and not even he himself had any idea how slim the chances of victory in this fight were.

"Oh, ok. Do you promise you'll come home soon, Daddy?" Skyla seemed to understand in her own childlike way what her father had to do, but didn't seem to fully grasp what he was saying, much to Edward's relief.

Edward paused for a moment to think. "Yes, sweetie, I promise I'll come home just as soon as I can." He thought to himself 'I hope to Guthix that's a promise I can keep….' He picked up his daughter, and they walked to Turael's house just up the road.

Edward knocked on the door, and heard an aging voice from inside shout "Just a minute….STOP THAT!! WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT THROWING SPEARS AT STUDENTS WITH NO ARMOR ON?!?!" He opened the door, and looked surprised. "Ah, Edward! And young Miss Skyla. What can I do for the two of you today?"

"Turael, can I speak to you alone for a moment? Skyla, go play in the garden and stay out of trouble, Daddy has to talk to Mr. Turael for a minute." The child did as she was told, and Edward turned back to Turael. "Asgarnia has declared war, and it looks like a bad one. I don't know any details, but if they pull an old soldier like me out of retirement, then you know we're in trouble. I have 10 minutes to report to camp. Would it be alright if I left Skyla with you until this campaign is over?"

"Of course! The girl's always a pleasure. I do have one concern, however. Edward, you know better than anyone that people die in wars. What if you're one of those people? I'm happy to care for Skyla, but how am I supposed to tell her that her daddy's never coming back?" Turael posed a good point; Edward had promised he'd return. How was Turael supposed to explain it if he didn't?

"I'll come back. Don't worry. You know me, Turael. You know it takes more than a few arrows to kill me." Edward seemed to convince Turael that he would survive, or at least that there was nothing they could do, given the short amount of time he had. He walked to where his daughter was playing, and picked her up. He kissed her on the cheek, and said "I've got to meet with my friends at the camp. I'll be back just as soon as I can. Be a good girl for Turael. I love you."

He set her down and she ran to the door. "Bye Daddy!" After her father disappeared from view, she went inside with Turael.

As Edward walked toward the camp, he began to worry slightly. "What if I do die in this war? Who's are we at war with? We haven't been at war since our war with Misthalin, and that was 40 years ago…" He continued to ponder about what could have started this war, and with whom the war was, until he arrived at the Imperial Guard training camp.

When Edward arrived at the camp, he saw several hundred soldiers in a massive crowd before a raised podium where a man stood. This man was General Ghommal, the commander of the Imperial Guard and founder of the Warriors' Guild. "Alright soldiers, here's the situation. A man from Canfis known as Zezima appeared in the Wilderness north of Falador about 2 months ago. Until last week, he'd been minding his own business. A mage from Varrok, Lucia Deck, was walking through the Wilderness when he murdered her. Roy Deck, her wife, went after him, seeking revenge, and was murdered also. About 9 hours ago, Zezima marched into Falador with a massive zombie army, including the resurrected corpse of Roy Deck, and burned the city to the ground and devoured everyone within. The entire military of Asgarnia is gathering at Port Sarim, his next expected target, in an attempt to stop, or at least weaken, his army. We will march down through Taverly, and past the dark wizard's tower, and from there go southeast into Port Sarim to meet up with the few remaining White Knights and Asgarnian army. Any questions?" It was obvious that the general wanted to end this briefing as quickly as possible and move the soldiers into position for the battle. "Alright, if there are no questions, then we'll move out. Let's go!" With that, the entire Imperial Guard, nearly 700 soldiers, marched out of Burthope and towards Port Sarim.

Stephen had grown much more comfortable with the Fremmenik in Rellekka, and no longer showed any shyness whatsoever. He asked Thorvald, the most powerful Fremmenik warrior to train him to become strong. He didn't mention his desire to kill Zezima to avenge his parents' deaths, because he knew that Thorvald wouldn't agree to train him for that purpose, but he got the impression that Thorvald suspected that was his reason. He trained him nonetheless, however.

"No, no, no. You're holding the shield too far out, you're leaving the entire right half of your body unprotected. When you go to attack, cover your entire torso with your shield so that if they counterattack, their sword will cut your shield and not your gut," Thorvald scolded Stephen at his improper fighting form.

"Excuse me, gentlemen, I have some…..disturbing….news." Andy walked into the room, obviously shaken from the quivering of his voice. "Thorvald, will you come with me?" As Thorvald and Andy stepped out of the training room, Stephen began to wonder about what the two were talking that was so secretive.

"Alright, Mr. Raynor, what is so important that you interrupt my training session?" Thorvald spoke as though he were annoyed, but his carefree tone of voice gave light to his true mood.

"Haha…Forgive me for interrupting, but I thought you might like to know that the entire Asgarnian military is currently engaged in a virtually unwinnable battle in Port Sarim against Zezima and an army of zombies that he raised from the dead using the art of necromancy," Andy said, putting Thorvald in a state of complete shellshock.

"…..Now run that by me again….I could have sworn you said the entire army of Asgarnia was fighting a battle that they can't possibly win against an army of zombies. Do you have any idea how fucked up that sounds?" Thorvald was obviously in disbelief at the incredible story, but closer examination of his body language would reveal that he was also struck with a deep rooted fear, as well. Thorvald knew that nothing good comes from an undead army. Not only were they impossible to intimidate, but how does one kill what is already dead? That's what makes armies of the undead so difficult to combat.

"I'm afraid you have it right. At this moment, Sir Amik is leading the armies of Asgarnia against this army in an attempt to weaken the undead force as much as possible in order to give the armies of Al-Kharid and Misthalin a better chance to repel them when the zombies move into their territories."

Thorvald was quite obviously shaken by this report. "Alright. "Thanks, Andy. Inform Brundt of the situation, please. I feel sure he'll want to get the Rellikkan army ready in case they move this way."

"Of course. You had better get back to your training, Thorvald. We don't want the boy to go without a working knowledge of swordplay, now do we?" Andy then left to speak with Brundt about the conflict in Asgarnia.

In Port Sarim, the Asgarnian military was in position and was waiting for Zezima's hoard to come. They waited for hours, and some soldiers began to feel that Amik was wrong, and that Zezima's next action wasn't to attack Port Sarim. After nearly 7 hours of waiting, when night had well set in, they began to hear noise from the directions of the ruins where Falador once stood. One of the watchmen ran to the military encampment, reporting that he had seen the army move out of the walls of Falador and begin to march to Port Sarim. Sure enough, a thunderous noise was heard, and the earth beneath their feet trembled as the massive hoard approached the soldiers.

"Alright men, this is it! This is the moment we have been waiting for. Fight like you've never fought before! Archers, open fire as soon as they're in range!" Sir Amik shouted at the army, getting them ready for the fight about to erupt.

Among the archers was Edward Walker. He raised his bow and drew an arrow. 'Alright,' he thought to himself, 'a longbow made of magic wood with poison runite tipped arrows…If this doesn't kill them, nothing will…' When the zombie hoard came into range, he let his arrow fly loose. With the release of Edward's arrow, over 200 arrows proceeded to rain down on the hoard, felling nearly 70 of them. "ALRIGHT, RANGERS, LET 'EM HAVE IT!!" Edward screamed, firing a volley of arrows at a single time.

General Ghommal drew his sword, a massive two handed sword forged in the dwarven armories of Keldagrim, and charged at the hoard. Mercilessly slashing away at the zombie army, he noticed one zombie that had impressive looking armor. The zombie at which he was looking was Roy Deck. As soon he realized this, Ghommal cut path to the undead legend and began a one on one fight. He knew that he was the strongest Asgarnian warrior, and that if anyone stood a chance to kill the zombie Deck, it was him. They spent nearly twenty minutes slashing away at each other before someone hit. As Ghommal swung his mighty blade at Roy, he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder, and looked to see the zombie's sword piercing his left shoulder blade. He cut off Roy's sword arm and sliced the zombie corpse clean in half at the stomach. With Deck dead once again, he took a moment to breathe and rest, but it would be this rest that would cost him his life; as he tried to stop the bleeding in his chest, he felt the most unbearable pain he'd ever experienced in his chest. He looked down to see a steel bolt piercing his chest, and turned around to see a zombie gnome holding a crossbow. The zombie fired another bolt between Ghommal's eyes, and the once god-like general fell over dead.

Amik, unaware of Ghommal's death, was hacking away at zombies, making his once bleach white armor a dingy and disgusting shade of burgundy. As he fought his way through the mass of reanimated corpses, he noticed one of them had a more natural color to his flesh. As he got closer he recognized the man he saw; it was Zezima. Amik watched as Zezima slayed a dozen men with a single sweep of his sword. 'That blade must have the blessing of Zamorak, there's no other way it could possess such power…' Amik thought to himself.

He decided to take advantage of the chaos and try to kill Zezima. He went on a mad charge, literally bursting through zombies that stood in his path. When he was behind Zezima, he brought up his sword, and was about to bring it down into Zezima's back when he suddenly stopped. He was paralyzed, he couldn't move. He looked down to see a small, green dagger inbedded in his stomach, and Zezima's left hand holding the dagger as he slaughtered Asgarnian soldiers with the sword in his right. "You didn't honestly think that I'd be that easy to kill, did you Amik? Really, I expected the leader of the White Knights to be a bit smarter than that," Zezima said as he killed another wave of Imperial Guardsmen.

"Heh…At least I tried….And who knows…Maybe I might succeed." As Amik said this, he dropped his sword and it stabbed right through Zezima's left shoulder and severed his arm.

"Ugh….Damn you to hell….Just you wait, I'll get my revenge…" With that, Zezima teleported away from the battle.

Amik, beginning to feel the effects of the poison dagger, fell to the ground, breathing hard. "Saradomin, as I lie on this blood-soaked battlefield dying, I pray that you forgive me for being unable to save Falador, and unable to kill Zezima….." Amik, content having said his final prayer to his god, let the poison shut down his brain and allowed himself to slip into an endless sleep.

"Keep those arrows flying! We're winning! We're actually winning!!" There were zombie archers, but they were far fewer in number than Edward had expected. "Come on, dodge their arrows and embed yours in their heads!" He let arrows fly at the rate of nearly 60 a minute. Arrows hissed by his head, and one came so close that it drew blood on his cheek. He saw his fellow archers fall one by one, which clued him in that he needed to take more cover and watch his position in relation to the enemies. After a few more minutes he realized that his quiver was empty. "Damn…Good thing I came prepared…" He drew the sword he kept at his waist and climbed down from the house from which he was firing his arrows and joined the melee brawl below. Far more chaotic than he expected, he nearly lost his head in the first minute of his engagment. Once he got the feel of the battle, however, things went much more smoothly. He saw the elite soldiers of the Varrok Royal Guard, and fought his way in that direction. "COMMANDER TUCKER!! COMMANDER TUCKER, ARE YOU STILL ALIVE???"

"What? Who's shouting at me??"

"Commander Tucker, I'm Edward Walker, one of the archers from the Imperial Guard! Do you know if any of the White Knights are still alive?"

"No, they're all dead, as are most of the Imperial Guard! Shut up and fight, we've almost won this thing!" Tucker continued to hack at zombies in front of him, and Edward did likewise.

Over two hours later, through the smoke of fire and stench of rotting flesh, Commander Tucker surveyed the battlefield. "Well, boys….We did it," he said, "We won. Amik, Saradomin rest his soul, didn't think we could do it, but we actually won. Lieutenant, how many soldiers are left alive?"

An exhausted lieutenant responded "Excluding you, 6 Varrok Royal Guardsman, 23 Imperial Guardsmen, and 84 soldiers in the main army. There are 100 men in each of the other five Asgarnian cities."

"That's not nearly enough to still defend Asgarnia….Our entire military force is reduced to 614 men? We started this battle with almost 2000!" Tucker, furious at the number of casualties Asgarnia took in the battle, took all of his anger out on the lieutenant.

"Sir! With all due respect, we didn't expect to win this battle at all. I think we should all consider ourselves lucky to be alive."

Tucker sighed. "I suppose you're right. Send a message to the king informing him of the results of the battle, and requesting further instructions." Commander Tucker then walked off and issued orders for the rest of the remaining military. He walked, surveying the carnage of the battle, and thought to himself 'The lieutenant was right…Thank Saradomin I'm alive….'


	4. Aftermath

_Sorry his chapter's so short, folks. I realized about 5 paragraphs in that this would be a very short chapter. The reason is that this story is divided into two main parts; before the big ass battle and after the big ass battle. Lol This chapter is pretty much just tying everything together after the big ass battle, so yeah, this'll be a short chapter. Sorry. I'll try to make up for it with longer chapters next time. Thanks._

_---ElkinFencer_

In the days following the Asgarnian victory over Zezima's zombie hoard, the few surviving soldiers began to grow restless. The remaining Imperial Guard stayed near Port Sarim and Rimmington, while the rest of the soldiers were scattered to other cities to defend. Commander Tucker realized that the soldiers were becoming very unhappy, and wanted to see their families. The Asgarnian military was still stretched too thin to defend, so that was out of the question, but he pondered the idea of having messengers deliver letters to families. After consulting some of the king's public relations advisors, he arranged to have letters from the soldiers delivered to their families.

"Hey Ed! Did you hear tha news?? Tucker's letting' us write letters to our families! He's gonna have em delivered fo' free!" one of Edward Walker's fellow Imperial Guardsmen said.

"Seriously? That's great! Any word on when we'll be able to go home?" Edward was looking forward to seeing his daughter again more than he thought he would.

"Na, Tucker said we gotta stay here for at least 2 more months. Ain't no one in the army anymore. They all dead, 'member? King's gonna have to pull out his pimpin' hand and draft some motha fuckas into the army so we can get our asses home."

"You realize that you're impossible to understand, right?" Edward obviously had a hard time with the soldier's….interesting….accent.

"Man, shut tha fuck up. Think you're the hottest thing since prostitution.….Psh…" the soldier walked off grumbling.

Edward walked to his tent and began to write his letter to Skyla.

"Dear Skyla. I hope you've been doing well. I'm sorry I've been away so long, but it looks like it will still be a while until I can come home. A lot of my friends got hurt here, so I have to stay and help do their chores around the camp until we can get some other people to do them. I promise I'll be home just as soon as I can. I hope you haven't given Mr. Turael too much trouble. Be good. I'll be home soon. Love, Daddy"

Upon finishing the letter, Edward folded it and handed it to the messenger going to Burthope. 'Well, I should be able to head home soon. Things seem to be quieting down. I can't believe we actually won that battle….Asgarnia will be known as a military superpower for years to come because of that victory….' He noticed that it was getting late, and his turn to stay on guard duty was almost at hand.

"Good news, boys. I just got word from command; we'll be able to head home in 3 weeks. Our victory here has filled the country with pride and patriotism, apparently. People all over the kingdom are volunteering for the army. We'll be out of here in just 3 more weeks," a relatively new Imperial Guard recruit said. Edward didn't recognize him, but then again, Edward retired from the guard 6 years ago. That was plenty of time for new members to join.

Hearing the bell signaling the change in guard shift, Edward grabbed his bow and headed up to his watch position. As we walked, he imagined his return home. 'Only 3 weeks, eh? Sounds like an eternity….'


	5. Rebuilding

_Sorry the last chapter was so short. I'll try to make this one longer. As I said, this story is divided into two parts, and as the opening chapter to the second part, this one will probably be a little longer. The song lyrics in this chapter are from the song "The Taste of Ink" by The Used on their CD "The Used." Thanks for sticking with this story and reviewing. I'm not going to be one of those stupid whores that says shit like "REVIEW OR I STOP WRITING," but some reviews would be nice. ;-)_

_---ElkinFencer_

Fifteen years had passed since the destruction of Falador and the repulsion of the zombie army. The reconstruction of Falador was a slow process, but much progress had been made. The mining guild was almost open again. Cassie's shield shop wasn't rebuilt yet, but for the most part, the city's reconstruction was coming along as planned. The White Knights were based in the Warriors' Guild building in Burthope until their castle in Falador was rebuilt. The kingdom of Misthalin negotiated an agreement with the Black Knights to leave Asgarnia alone and stop their was with the White Knights. Only a few had joined the White Knights, temporarily under the command of Temple Knight Sir Tiffy Cashien. He would remain in charge of the White Knights until enough had joined and been trained for it to independently sustain itself.

The country had been peaceful, and the Asgarnian military was, except for the White Knights, almost returned to its pre-Zezima strength. Though there had been no sightings of Zezima since the battle, it was rumored that he had returned to his home in Morytania, a few miles east of Burgh de Rott.

Edward Walker had returned to retirement to rear his daughter. Skyla, like her father, had taken up archer, and it was apparent that she had a natural talent for this skill. For her 22nd birthday, Edward had gotten Skyla a very rare short bow made of mahogany wood and blessed by Kaqemeex, the most respected priest of Guthix in Runescape.

After seven months of his being there, Chieftain Brundt deemed it safe enough for Stephen to stay in Rellekka for as long as he wanted to stay. Having grown attached to the Fremmenik, Stephen decided to stay in Rellekka.

Many things had changed in Stephens' life, but one thing had remained the same in these fifteen years; his desire to seek revenge on Zezima. Stephen had continued to train in the melee arts, but around his fifteenth birthday, he decided that the best way to combat a necromancer was to find the quickest way to slay the undead. Since necromancy is a forbidden art, and he would need to resurrect the dead to find effective ways of dealing with them, he had to visit the magic guild in Yannile to gain permission to use the forbidden art.

He spend the better part of the day for eight years resurrecting dead trolls, trying new fighting styles and types of weapons with which to kill the undead trolls, and reresurrecting them. He repeated this process for hours everyday.

Stephen decided that it would be easier to wait for Zezima to show himself than to go on a wild goose chase, searching the entire world for a man unseen for fifteen years.

"You realize that he could already be dead, right?" Andy asked one day as Stephen trained.

"Could be. Doubt it, though. I an feel it; he's alive," Stephen said cryptically.

"Stephen, look at this logically. It's very unlikely that a man as infamous as Zezima could go totally unseen for fifteen years without being dead."

"Andy, trust me; he's alive." Stephen was aware how unlikely it was that Zezima was still alive, but he was adamant; he knew, just KNEW that Zezima was still alive.

Sitting in the dark of his four room house in the swamps of Morytania, Zezima meditated and prayed to the evil god Zamorak for the power to return to necromancy and plunge the world into a soulless void of the undead, as was his original plan.

As he meditated, he felt a magical paralysis spread throughout his body. In front of him appeared an apparition in the shape of Zamorak. "Zezima. I know of your desire for conquest. Normally I would help you, but, as you know, the son of Roy Deck is very strong in his following of Guthix, and has thus gained great favor with the god of balance. To make matters worse, his strong desire to bring justice to his parents' deaths has gained him the favor of Saradomin, too. So long as he lives, I cannot do anything to help you, for he represents the power of both Guthix and Saradomin in this particular conflict, and I cannot overpower both gods. However, end his life, and you will have my limitless power. I will give you what strength I can so that you might raise another army of the undead and march on Rellekka, where the boy now trains." In another instant, Zamorak was gone.

"Hey Skyla, want to take a trip?" Edward asked.

"Where?" Skyla thought the idea of a trip sounded great, but she didn't want to expect somewhere like Camelot and end up in the middle of Karamja.

"Rellekka. There's an Imperial Guardsman up there on leave, and he's out of time off. They need someone to go fetch him, and I've got nothing to do, so I volunteered." Edward knew that Skyla had a fascination with Fremmenik culture, and thought that this sounded like the prefect reason to take a trip to Rellekka.

"Sure! I've always wanted to go to Rellekka! Just let me grab my things," Skyla said excitedly, running to her room to grab her clothes. She made sure that she got her bow and her armor. Her armor had been gift from Turael along with the bow her father gave to her. The armor was made from the hide of a black dragon; only the richest and most elite rangers had black dragonhide armor, and since her father was so high up in the military, he was able to get a set. "Alright, I'm ready to go!"

Skyla and Edward left Burthope and began their trek across White Wolf Mountain. "So who is the guy we're going to get? Why has he spent so long in Rellekka? Did he have family there?" Skyla broke the silence by firing off a string of questions at her father.

"Ok, one at a time. His name is Andy Raynor, he's a colonel of the Imperial Guard. He's spent the past fifteen years in Rellekka taking care of Stephen Deck, his godson," Edward said, bringing a momentary silence as Skyla thought about what he had just said.

"That name sounds familiar….Isn't he the son of that really famous guy?" Skyla asked, trying to remember where she had heard the name "Deck" before.

"Yes, Skyla, that 'really famous guy' is Roy Deck, one of the strongest and richest warriors to ever live in Runescape. The Deck estate in Varrok makes the king's palace look like a hut. He gave millions of gold to fund the Imperial Guard and White Knights." From the way Edward spoke of Roy Deck, it was obvious that he had great respect for Runescape's most legendary warrior. The remainder of the trip to Rellekka was in complete silence, save the occasional discussion about some sight they had just passed.

When the two reached Rellekka, only the occasional guard was seen on the streets; the rest of the city appeared to be deserted. As they approached the longhall, however, they heard music from inside. They opened the doors and saw a man that looked to be about 20 years of age on the stage. His hair was down to his waist and was a light shade of brown that seemed to glow in the sunlight from the windows. He was apparently a popular singer, as the entire town of Rellekka seemed to be seated before him.

_Is it worth it, can you ever hear me?_

_Standing with your spotlight on me_

_Not enough to feed the hungry_

_I'm tired and I've felt it for a while now_

_In this sea of lonely_

_The taste of ink is getting old, it's_

_Four o'clock in the fucking morning_

_Each day gets more and more like the last day_

_Still I can see it coming_

_While I'm standing in the river drowning_

_This could be my chance to break out_

_This could be my chance to say goodbye_

_At last it's finally over_

_Couldn't take this town much longer_

_Being half dead wasn't what I planned to be_

_Now I'm ready to be free_

As Skyla listened to his words, they seemed to entrance her.

_So here I am, it's in my hands_

_And I'll savor every moment of this_

_So here I am, alive at last_

_And I'll savor every moment of this_

_Won't you think I'm pretty_

_When I'm standing top the bright light city_

_And I'll take your hand and pick you up_

_And keep you there so you can see_

_As long as you're alive and care_

_I promise I will take you there_

_And we'll drink and dance the night away_

_And we'll drink and dance the night away_

'Did I just see what I think I did? No, it couldn't be…I had to be imaging it…' Skyla could have sworn she saw the singer looking straight at her as he sang the chorus.

After he stopped singing and stepped off of the stage, Edward and Skyla walked towards him. He was talking to a man with short black hair and a sword at his waist.

Edward walked up to the main with black hair. "Excuse me, Andy Raynor?"

"Yeah, that's me. Who are you?" the man responded.

"I'm Colonel Edward Walker, retired Burthope Imperial Guard. I'm here to inform you that your time off has ended. You're expected back in Burthope in one week."

"Shit….Alright. I'll be there in one week. Stephen, say hi. This is Edward Walker. He's in the Imperial Guard."

"Hey, what's up? I'm Stephen Deck. Did you like the performance?" the long haired guy asked.

"Well, it was-"

"FUCKING AMAZING!!" Skyla interrupted her father and blurted out. "Holy shit, that song was awesome! Did you write it?" Her father just glared at her.

"Yeah. I got über bored one day and just sat down and wrote it. I call it 'The Taste of Ink'" Stephen told Skyla, with pride evident in his voice.

"Well, that's very nice and all, but we need to head back to Burthope," Edward said, impatience apparent in his voice.

"Now hold on a second, you said I had a week. It only takes 2 days to get to Burthope. I don't want to go back to my duties until I have to," Andy said, buying himself every scrap of time off he could.

"Yeah, and I haven't seen any of Rellekka yet!" Skyla protested adamantly.

"Fine, fine. We'll stay for five days. Then we head back," Edward said, seeing it was futile to argue.

"Hey Skyla, want me to show you around?" Stephen asked.

"Yeah! I'll be back later, Dad!" Skyla said before leaving with Stephen. For the next few hours, Stephen and Skyla walked around the entire village of Rellekka, and Stephen showed her every noteworthy spot that he could remember from his fifteen years of living there.

"It's getting late….We should head back. There's an unused house right next to mine. You and your father can stay there," Stephen said, taking notice to the sinking sun.

"Alright. Hey Stephen?" Skyla said.

"Yeah?" Stephen asked.

"I've really enjoyed your showing me around Rellekka," Skyla said.

Blushing slightly, Stephen replied "Yeah…No problem…"

That night Stephen decided that when Skyla, Edward, and Andy left for Burthope, that we would accompany them and return to the longtime vacant Deck estate in Varrok.

The village of Rellekka slept peacefully that night. The four city guards, focusing on their game of poker, failed to notice the two hooded men approaching them, both of whom were dual wielding crossbows. Within 5 seconds, all four guards were dead, a poison tipped bolt to the each of their heads. The two men dragged the guards into the darkness, leaving the village completely undefended.

Years of military service had sharpened Edward Walker's survival senses. He felt a presence enter the small one room house. He opened his eyes, but did not move. He slowly reached for his sword, which laid beside him. He slowly turned his head and saw a man in a black cloak slowly moving towards Skyla. Edward saw the man draw a dagger from within in cloak. In a fast, fluid motion, so fast that the untrained eye could scarcely see it, his sword raced through the air and cut into the stranger's abdomen. With a grunt, his top half slid into the floor as his bottom half fell on top of Skyla. She awoke, and when she realized what was on top of her, she screamed loud enough for the soldiers in Burthope to hear her.

Skyla's bloodcurdling scream woke Stephen, who rolled over to see a dagger right above his face. "HOLY SHIT!!" he screamed as he rolled off of the bed. He ran to the other side of the room and grabbed his longsword, which was made of silver and blessed by a priest of Guthix in Rellekka for the purpose of slaying the undead, and quickly dispatched the intruder. He walked out of the hut, followed closely by Andy, to see a massive hoard of zombies flooding into the village. "….Shit…." was all Stephen said before barging into Skyla's and Edward's house to make sure they were alright. Skyla was still covered in blood, and scared to death, but she was okay.

"What the hell is going on?" Edward asked as he equipped his armor and reached for his bow.

"Nothing really, just a small problem," Stephen said sarcastically. "Nothing serious, you know, just a big ass army of zombies pouring into the city."

For a brief moment, a look of pure terror flashed on Edward's face. "Not again…." He opened the door of the house to see Fremmenik warriors combating the zombie hoard. "Oh Guthix…This is far more than last time. Wait…Not all of those are zombies…." Edward looked at the army, and saw that, in addition to zombies, were skeletons, shades, ghosts, and vampires. "I've never heard of anyone being skilled enough in necromancy to summon vampires….Either Zezima has increased dramatically in power….Or he has the blessing of Zamorak."

"Alright," Andy said, "here's what we'll do. Skyla and Stephen, you two try to make it to the docks. Edward and I will get a few Fremmenik together to act as a crew for the ship there. I want you to sail to Port Khazard. I know it's a long way, but we're not getting out of here on foot, and We have to let the Kandarin government know about this. From Port Khazard, go to Ardougne and tell the king of Kandarin. Then get back to Varrok as quickly as you can and tell the king of Asgarnia that Zezima has returned and destroyed Rellekka." Everyone seemed to understand. Stephen and Skyla ran for the docks as fast as they could, Stephen slicing through anyone that came in their way and Skyla putting an arrow into the head of any of the hoard that she could. Edward and Andy found any Fremmenik warrior not being killed that they could. They assembled a twelve man crew and ran with them to the docks.

As they were running, Andy and Edward failed to see the vampire flying towards them. The undead beast tackled Andy and sank its fangs into his neck. "Arggh, fuck! Kill me now, Edward!" Edward raised his bow and fired three arrows into the vampire's head. The creature's body went limp and collapsed on the ground next to Andy's flailing body. Andy could already feel the change beginning to occur.

"I'm sorry, Andy," Edward said before he fired an arrow into Andy's temple. His body went limp, and he was released from the agony of a mutating body.

Edward rushed the Fremmenik warriors to the dock, and hurried them onto the boat. As he was boarding, an arrow whistled by his head. He turned around and saw what looked like fifty undead racing towards the boat. "Go! I'll hold them off while you escape!" Edward shouted as he jumped off of the boat and back down to the dock. He began raining arrows down on the approaching enemies.

"Dad, no! Come with us!" Skyla screamed.

"Skyla, cast the boat off. Just go!" Edward continued to fire arrow after arrow.

Stephen whispered something into Skyla's ear. She nodded her head, and continued to plead with her father. Stephen silently crept off of the boat with a large wooden rod in his hand. "Sorry about this, old man," he said before bashing Edward in the back of the head. He dragged the unconscious man into the boat and set sail as Skyla fired arrows off faster than she ever had before.

After about an hour of being at sea towards Port Khazard, Edward awoke. "What the hell?" he asked.

Stephen was looking at him from the corner of the deck. "Tried to be hero, eh? Too bad for you, but we were able to get away AND save your wrinkly ass." Edward got up and walked towards Stephen. Stephen was expecting a thank you. Instead, he got a hard punch in the face.

"Daddy!" Skyla shouted, shocked.

"Did I ask you to save me?" Edward asked Stephen.

"No, but I did anyway. You're welcome, you decrepit bastard…." Stephen smirked, knowing that he had immensely annoyed the aging soldier. Skyla just laughed. Edward sighed and walked to one of the lower decks of the ship to wait out the rest of the journey to Port Khazard.


End file.
